A reading challenge for all interested in exploring authors who were kicked out of the "in" crowd. Owning a blog isn't required.

Monday, August 13, 2007

Welcome to the Outmoded Authors challenge

Greetings. The final list of outmoded authors is completed and we're ready to go on September 1st 2007. The idea behind this challenge is to give some needed attention to authors who have fallen by the way side. While one may assume that all on the list produced works of the highest quality, a few may turn out to be historical curiosities, and that's alright too. "Timeless" works aren't the only ones that can prove to be pleasurable reads.

The challenge will last for six months and end on February 29th 2008. During that time you may choose to read however many books by however many authors you like. Membership will be open to all, including those who don't have a blog, until January 31st 2008. As you can see I'm not one for too many rules, not liking them myself when it comes to any sort of group reading activity.

For reviews or any author-related information or musings you think would be interesting, please submit it to this blog as well as to your own, if you like. *To gain access to the blog so you can post, please submit your e-mail in comments or use the contact info in my blogger profile. This also goes for readers without blogs if they wish to contribute to the site. It is a blog so do not feel as if you need to post a 1500 essay on liberty and isolation in Svevo's novels -- I made that up btw, never read the man's work before -- just post what you're comfortable with. I only ask that with each post you add the relevant tags/labels such as the author's name ("Dawn Powell"), whether it's fiction or poetry, a review or a news item ("news"), perhaps a quote from a good essay you found on one of the writers you'd like to share ("essay") and so on.

If you have any questions or concerns don't hesitate to comment. The buttons, created by the lovely Eva, are here. A list of the authors is posted in the sidebar. I'm no longer accepting other author suggestions. See you all September 1st!

*If you've commented on my blog before and wish to join simply make it official in comments but you don't need to give me your e-mail, chances are I already have it.

73 comments:

You've extended it! I think I'll take the opportunity to read 2 Scotts instead of 1. Or maybe I should throw some D.H. Lawrence into the mix. Too many options! I do have most of my list up, though; do you want us to post our lists on this blog as well?

Eva I have! The last list did, after all, end up longer than expected, so I thought we deserved an extra month.

You may pretty much post whatever you like that's challenge-related on this blog: that includes reading lists. (I'm easy-going like that.) Please label it "reading lists" if you don't mind, so we can have them all together at the end. (I'm trying to keep this as streamlined as possible so it can remain something of a useful depository after the challenge is over.)

I found this via Dorothy today(I am so behind in reading blogs....). Can I join? I had planned to read DH Lawrence anyway and I have several of Sybille Bedford's books as well. As long as I can read however many books I choose, I'd love to do this as well. I will have to take a closer look at your list--I haven't even heard of some of those authors!

It's the other Ted (bookeywookey)- you bet I'll participate. Although, I'll have to keep the list on the shortish side due to school. It will likely include Galsworthy, Sarton and maybe Svevo (?). I'm at bookeywookey@gmail.com

I'll join: musingsfromthesofa dot blogspot dot com. I have just finished The Forsyte Saga, can I count that for the challenge?V excited to be reminded of Olivia Manning, and it's a good excuse to get back to more Freya Stark.

Ted I'm jealous! I never thought of checking out the local used stores but now I will in search of an equally good find. And thank you so much for allowing us to try Svevo, too. You are gracious, indeed.

Welcome Lorin and LK. I'm about to send off your invitations. You're welcome as well Becky but to send you an invitation I need your e-mail address not your blog url. Yes, you may count your Forsythe Saga read. :)

A great idea. I dont want to commit myself yet, but I think I might join in later in the year. Malcolm Lowry is on my TBR list anyway, and I quite fancy revisiting Janet Frame who I read about 15 years ago. Looking forward to following your findings as as a group.

oooh, can you sign me up too? Chesterton, Scott and Lawrence are on my TBR list, this could be fun. And just in case you could squeeze in one more author, what about William Morris? Very big in his day - he wrote poems and fantasies and dream-visions and utopian fiction, but now he's only really remembered for his soft-furnishings and curtain fabric designs, and his pre-Raphaelite friends.

Hello, please could I join this challenge? Scott is one of my favourite authors, so it will be a pleasure rather than a challenge to read more of him but I have a Radclyffe Hall that has sat unread on the shelf for about twenty years that this will finally push me into dusting off! This challenge is a wonderful idea, thank you.email: carmillag@googlemail.com

I am surprised to see the wonderful Janet Frame on the list but, coming from NZ, she is never out of favour here really. Such a perennial and she has just won (posthumously) our 2007 Montana poetry award - a NZ major literary award. I think if I was to add a NZ author on there as outmoded it would be Katherine Mansfield, although she is such a literary icon, but I think less read here now than Janet Frame.

I just heard about this challenge and casually commented that I want to read George Gissing. But he's not on the list! We have to read from the list?! A few of these I never would've considered outmoded, but I'll take the opportunity to read the Huysmans sitting on my shelf, and I'll think of something else... Count me in.

Ennavic who did not give me an e-mail address to which I could send an invite and none is listen in your profile. Is it that you wish to participate but not blog? Please let me know.

As for Frame, you are write, she is still read in NZ but is not so blessed beyond her borders -- I had mentioned in the first post that that could be a qualification -- which is why a member suggested her.

Isabella I do not have many rules but one is that we should stick to the list. :) You could read it anyway and make it your renegade selection.

Most of the authors you have chosen will endure: coming into and going out of 'la mode' as they are discovered and rediscovered by perceptive readers. The cultural and historical referents of these authors may have disappeared, but there is plenty of significance and fire for the imagination.

My apologies if this seems heavy; I was saddened and provoked that Malcolm Lowry appeared on your list.

May I join too please? I'll try not to read only the authors I already like (Compton-Burnett is a favourite). I've meant to read Lowry for years, maybe that should be first on my list, and I'm really pleased to see Marian Engel on the list, though her books are hard to come by here in the UK.

I would love to do this challenge! I have books by several authors on this list that I would like to read, including Barnes, Maugham, Sarton and Svevo. Please sign me up - my e-mail is slgoforth@ameritech.net.

Is is too late to suggest another author? J. B. Priestley is fairly obscure now, although at one time (1920's through the 1940's) he was a very popular novelist and playwright.

Thanks for joining gentle reader. :) If you'd like to be able to post on this blog with reading lists, thoughts you wanna share on a particular author, interesting links and so on, you'll need the invite. (I'll send it to you, in case you want it. If you don't just ignore it.)

After you do that you can pretty much do what you like. Make a list, leave it to chance, it's up to you.

can i sign up? - i was doing my own project of reading Prix Goncourt winners, but I suppose I could run the two in parallel. - besides, it'll give me an excuse to read Under the Volcano and Confessions of Zeno which I've been carrying from flat to flat for 10 years.

You certainly may Mrs. Cope. If you would like to be able to post your thoughts on any of the books you read on this blog, please provide your e-mail address either here in comments, or directly to me (bahiyya at fastmail dot cn), so that I can send you a blogger invitation.

Does this mean that you'd like to officially join, Jan? By "officially" I mean to receive a blogger invitation in order to be able to post on the group blog, or to simply be listed along with other participants in the sidebar.

Great! I should have mentioned it before to make things smoother: I'll need your e-mail address in order to send you the blogger invitation to join the group. :) You can submit it in comments or send it to me: bahiyya at fastmail dot cn.

I'm sorry, sleslie, but membership closed at the end of January and the challenged ended on February 29th. But it will be starting back in September, so if you subscribe to the blog's RSS feed and wait 'till then. Thanks for your interest!